Small Towns, Book 1: First Blood
by alienphantom
Summary: Small towns, innocent in their anominity, hide deep, dark secrets. Monsters are real, as Cody finds out...all too real.
1. Chapter 1

"Small Towns"

"_Small Towns". Places people have never heard of. They have secrets, dark mysteries. Theirs are just better hidden. Our story takes place in such a place, a town whose name is of no real consequence. And, we are thrown right into one of the deepest, darkest secrets of them all. This is the story, of a boy…who was turned into something…more._

_**BBBRRIIINNGGGG!!**_ The school bell finally sounded, and the students surged from their classes, out into the September sunshine. I was among them, walking across campus to the bike rack. "WOO HOO!! SCHOOL'S OUT!!" My friend, Stephen, yelled as he bounced across the grass. He was always hyper and, let's face it, extremely loud. "Stephen, CALM DOWN!" A short, Puerto Rican girl to my right said harshly. Yeah, that would be Marie. We're really good friends, and so is Stephen, though heaven only knows why we tolerate his, uhhh, "quirks".

Marie grabbed his shoulder, then forced him to stop jumping. I've never been able to figure out how she does that, since he's about 4 inches taller then her. But, she did, and Stephen kept vibrating under her. She turned to me, annoyed, and asked me, "Cody, can you please give me a hand here?" I chuckled, then grabbed Stephen's shirt collar. I lifted him up to eye level, which, since I'm pretty tall, meant he was about half a foot off the ground. "Stephen," I said calmly, a smile forming on my lips, " calm down." He stopped wiggling, and looked away.

"Yeah, whatever." He mumbled. I set him down, satisfied, and he ran off, screaming something about turtles. Marie and I looked at each other blankly for a second, then shook our heads in a, "I don't want to know." gesture. "Well, Marie, I'll see you later." I said, waving, as I climbed on my bike. "We still going to the mall Saturday?" She inquired, and, I'm gonna say thins beforehand, it was **NOT** a date! I mean, we're taking Stephen and my other friend Sam! Which will…most likely lead to the total destruction of the mall… Oh well! "You bet." I answered happily, then waved goodbye as I pedaled for home.

I rode through the neighborhood, then came to a stop in front of my house. I braked my bike, then let it slide on the grass and come to rest at the edge of the front porch. I climbed the off-white steps, then slammed the screen door behind me. I walked into the living room, and saw my mom watching the news, as usual. My dad was in the kitchen, making spaghetti, and he had his head half-turned, watching the O'Reily Factor. They turned to me, and my mom got up and came over to hug me. "Oh, Cody, how was your day?" She asked as she slowly started squeezing the life out of me. "Fine..can't…breathe." I managed to gasp out as I wiggled out of her crushing arms. I ducked under her arms and scrabbled over to the stair, then climbed up to my room. After logging onto my favorite search engine (God bless Google), I went to our town's local news site. And, as usual, nothing interesting happens. After web surfing for a bit, I changed into my sleep cloths. _"Nothing interesting ever happens in Willow's Grove._" I thought sourly, just as I fell asleep. Boy, was I _**wrong**_.

The next day, I awoke to a glorious realization. "IT'S SATURDAY!!" I yelled as I leapt out of bed and began to get dressed. I ran downstairs and grabbed a box of cereal out of the pantry. I ate it as I flicked through the channels, looking for anything interesting to watch. No such luck. I surfed the web a bit, checked on a few stories on , and I commented on a few videos on Youtube. I sighed, bored, and closed the Internet browser. I decided to grab my bike and check on Stephen, since he lived nearby.

I biked through the neighborhood, under the sweeping arms of the trees that gave our town its name. As I arrived, I noticed Stephen was hanging upside-down from a tree branch in his yard, humming the National Anthem. Now, that might have been weird, but it didn't surprise me in the least. I leaned my bike on the side of the tree, then tapped Stephen on the head to get his attention. He cracked one eye open and said, " Hey."

"Get down." I commanded. 'No." He replied stubbornly, grasping the branch with both hands. I rolled my eyes, the grabbed the branch close to where it joined with the tree's trunk. Stephen slipped off and fell onto the grass in a heap. He glanced up at me and said, " I hate you." "No you don't." I replied as I put out my hand. He grasped it and I pulled him to his feet. He brushed off his jeans, then looked back at me. "Well…what now?" He inquired. I shrugged, and then a thought struck me. I dug my cell out from my pocket and checked the time. 4:50. I flipped it close and said, "It's about time to meet Marie, come on." I gestured for him to come on as I walked over to the bus stop.

He followed me, and we walked the two blocks to it, talking animatedly about a lot of stuff. We arrived just as the bus pulled up, and we filed in. I slid my two quarters in the slot, and we made our way to a pair of seats in the back of the bus. The old city bus rumbled to life, and it carried us through the streets, and onward to the mall. Suddenly, he asked, "Hey, did you know there are over 300 species of turtles?" I sent him a look and replied dully, "You are, by far, the most random person I have ever met. _**Ever.**_" He just shot me a toothy grin, and I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling a migraine coming on. How can you be best friends with someone when you want to kill them? I don't know, yet I do it. Well, that's life. Well, my life, anyway. But, that's beside the point. While I'm having this inner rant with myself, the bus has pulled to a stop outside the mall parking lot. I rose from the worn plastic seat, and made my way to the doors as they folded open with a mechanical hiss. I trod on the steps on the way down, taking a larger-then normal one to make it to the curb. The doors closed behind us, and the bus rumbled off into the stream of traffic.

We walked across the parking lot, making our way to the sprawling complex of the mall. As we entered the glass doors, we set off down the main branch, glancing at each window as we passed. A book store, a tattoo parlor, a hairdresser's. Eventually, we arrived in front of Hot Topic, and saw Marie standing inside. She was looking at some Jack Skellington T-shirts, and I was about to go in and meet her, when I saw some guy standing behind her. I immediately didn't like the looks of him.

He was tall, about 6"3, if I had to guess, with a mane of dirty blonde hair, which swept back and fell over his neck. He had pale skin, and walked strangely, like some kind of predatory cat. I suppose 'lope' would be the best word for it. He loped up behind her, his eyes fixed on the back of her head. I moved around Stephen, who had been babbling about something, and entered the store. As I weaved through racks of clothes towards where Marie was, I thought I saw the guy lean in and breathe deeply through his nose. Almost as if he was _smelling_ her. I was only a couple steps away when she finally noticed him. She had turned and was (I presume) telling him off when I arrived. I moved in front of her, so I stood between him and Marie. Meanwhile, Stephen, for once, was being perceptive, and had pulled Marie away. I gave him a look, nodding my thanks, and he nodded an acknowledgment. The, I turned back to the mystery man.

As I looked him straight in the eye, I noticed just how weird this guy looked. He wore a regular, one color shirt and jeans, so I didn't think he was too remarkable, but, now that I saw him up close, I noticed the weirder things about him. His skin was unnaturally pale, and he had dark bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in a while. But, the strangest thing of all, wasn't his face (which looked like it belonged on a damn _**model**_!) or his weird behavior. It was his eyes. They were a deep scarlet, almost black around the pupils. The look in those eyes….it sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. It wasn't because I was consciously afraid of him, hell, if he tried to hurt one of my best friends, I'd kick his ass. But, it was almost as if some primal instinct of fear had been awoken.

"Hey, buddy, leave the little lady alone." I commanded threateningly. The guy just looked at me coolly, since we were about the same height, and said, "Get out of my way if you know what's good for you." His voice ended is a strange hiss, and it sounded like the voice of a movie star. Wow, I already hated this guy's guts. "Well, don't count on it, 'cause we're not going to let you near her." I said, jerking my head in Marie's general direction. I added the 'we' because Stephen had sidled up behind me, and Marie was behind us both. The guy looked from me, to Stephen, then at the Marie, then back at me. "Interesting…" He said with a slight hiss, his lips barely moving as he spoke.

Suddenly, another one appeared out of nowhere. This one was olive-skinned, with dark hair. He had grabbed the blonde's arm and said , so quietly to him, that I barely heard, close as I was. "Dammit, James, we don't have time for this. We've got to keep moving." The corner of the first one's lips turned up into a smile, and he said quietly, the hiss still evident in his tone, "Of course, Laurent…lead the way. " The two stalked off, the cat-like lope still evident in their stride. As they left, I unconsciously sighed in relief.

I turned to Stephen and Marie, who both stood behind me. Marie was watching anxiously as the two left, while Stephen was sorting though a pile of T-shirts. "Thanks, Cody." Marie said quietly. I smiled and said, "No problem. No one threatens my friends." She smiled back, and we went to get Stephen, who had managed to get his head stuck in a T-shirt. I chuckled as Stepehn cried out as we pulled on the shirt. The cotton strectyhed, and finally ripped, and he stumbled backwards, falling onto a bean bag chair. Marie and I fell out laughing hysterically at the sight of our hyper-active friend, squished up in the chair, ripped pieces of cotton fluttering around his head. But, in the back of my mind, I was uneasy. I felt a sense of foreboding, like I would see those two again…

_**A.N**_ **Well, this is my first try at a Twilight fic. I've read all the books, and I've got a story line already planned out. Tell me what you guys think! R & R!! :D**


	2. The Change

Well, after the little run-in with those weirdo's, my friends and I made our way down to the food court, which, as I'm sure you all know, is where basically every teenager in the mall ends up eventually

_I want to apologize for not updating, school sucks. Warning: violent chapter. R &R!_

Well, after the little run-in with those weirdo's, my friends and I made our way down to the food court, which, as I'm sure you all know, is where basically every teenager in the mall ends up eventually. As we waited in line for Sebarro's, I turned to Marie, who was standing next to me. "Hey, Marie?," II began, and she turned her chocolate-brown eyes onto me. "What the hell's going on over there?" I asked, jerking a finger in the direction of a cordoned off area of the main plaza, which held the riggings of a concert stage. "Oh, there's some band playing tonight. I don't know who." She replied. I shrugged indifferently, and then moved up; as the line had passed up enough that we were at the counter.

I walked up to the cashier, a lanky teen with some bad acne and spiked black hair. "What can I get you, sir?" He asked in a nasally tone. I chose to be a good person and not comment on his face, for two reasons; 1. I'm a good person and 2. My friend Sam, who had yet to show up, had insulted someone here at the mall while they were getting their food, and found a couple dust bunnies in his taco. "One slice of meat-lover's, a medium Sprite and…." I trailed off as I looked at Marie questioningly, and she added, "One slice of pineapple and sausage, and one cheese slice. Oh, and two Vaults." She was ordering for Stephen too, who was harassing the security guard. I really hope he doesn't do something stupid, 'cause I don't wanna end up at the guard station tonight. The nerdy guy nodded and pressed a few buttons on the cash register.

"That comes to 14.57." He said after a minute, and I paid him. We grabbed our food, and carried it over to one of the plastic tales dotting the food court. Stephen bounced over, holding a bump rising on his forehead. I looked over at the security guard, who was twirling his knight stick cheerfully, and then asked Stephen, "You insulted the security guard again, didn't you?"

"No I did…yes." He admitted, hanging his head. Marie giggled, and I rolled my eyes as I took a bite of my pizza. After we ate, we ambled over to the stage, where a crowd was starting to gather. We wiggled trough the throng and arrived at the stage, where the band was about to play. They launched into song, and we started hopping and bouncing to the beat. The band was Disturbed, and they were playing "Down with the Sickness". The lights nearly all blacked out, and random flashes of colored strobe lights lit the stage and crowd. "I love this song!" Marie yelled in my ear, and I nodded, unable to talk through the noise. However, that familiar sense of foreboding returned, and a shiver went down my spine. Eventually, the song began to wind down, and the crowd thinned as the concert ended. Marie, Stephen and I were pushed through the crowd towards the exit.

As we were pushed out into the chilly night air, we walked down the side of the mall, towards the bus stop. The mall is built like three massive letter Y's on their sides, so, on the way to the bus stop, which was on the opposite end of the parking lot, we passed in front of a dark alley way. As we walked in front of it, my intuition brought back that feeling of dread, and I involuntarily turned my head towards the blackness. I saw nothing, but sensed a shape, just outside my field of vision. Then, my eyes widened as I saw the blonde man from before, James, half-way emerge from the shadows. He smiled, and his red eyes seemed to glow in the half-light.

I opened my eyes to scream a warning to my friends, but he moved in the blink of an eye. He flashed forward, and his teeth bolted out. I felt a searing pain in my side, and fell over onto the dirty concrete, blood pouring from a wound in my side. I cracked my head on the ground, and saw the following events through a red haze. He bit Stephen next, ripping out his jugular, and blood sprayed from the wound. Stephen fell beside me with a moan. His hands grasped his wound, and the bleeding more or less stopped. I was able to smile dimly through the pain. Stephen would live. But, I felt my blood run cold as James approached Marie. She shrank back against the wall as he stalked towards her, his scarlet eyes shining with excitement and blood dripping down his chin. She screamed bloody murder (how ironic), and James lunged. "_**NOOO!!**_" I shouted, though it came out as a muffled moan. He crashed down onto her, and her limbs flailed as he bit down onto her throat. Suddenly, I heard the stamping of many feat and the murmur of voices. "What's happening?" "I heard someone scream." "Go check it out." James hissed, and leap away on top of the mall, running faster then the eye could follow.

I smiled slightly, then shrieked in pain as I felt liquid fire pour into my veins. It felt as I was melting from the inside, but I still heard some horrified shouting. "Oh My God!!" "Someone, call the ambulance!!" I barely registered the voices before I blacked out, though the burning pain remained…


	3. Renaissance

Fire…..Pain…..Burning…….

I was dimly aware of the pain radiating from my wound, all along my body. I felt fire pour into my veins as I screamed in agony, but it sounded muted to my ears, as if I had cotton stuffed in them, muffling all sound. I felt as if my bones would soon melt from the heat, and I saw flashing images of leaping flames from my mind. Was this Hell? That was what the burning led me to believe. But, I died trying to save Marie. I shouldn't have been damned for that, should I? Surely I wasn't such a bad person that my death could be overlooked. I lay there; unaware of the world around, as I felt myself burning to dust…

The pain passed from place to place, then I realized that I could feel my fingers and toes, wiggle them a little. A while later, although time meant next to nothing as I lay in this fiery void, I began hearing soft noises, voices, it sounded like.

"Don't just stand there, get the IV inside, we don't have much time! He's lost a lot of blood!" A voice shouted, and I felt something cold and metallic press against me through the burning. "It won't go in! The skins too tough!" Another, feminine voice sounded. I felt the cold recede, and heard someone else shout, "His hearts going crazy! Someone get the paddles!" Then, I heard a metallic buzz, and something pressed against my chest. I heard a buzz, a shout of "Clear!", and white lightning pulsed through me from my chest, vying with the fire for control. Please, let me die! Let the pain stop! I begged silently for the fire to kill me, to save me from this torture. But, I stayed alive, the fire searing my every nerve.

Hours, days, hell, _years_ could have passed while I was stuck in the endless burning void. Time meant nothing here, only the passing of agony. But, slowly but surely, I felt the pain receded, millimeter by millimeter. As it inched closer to my chest, the impossible occurred. The fire grew hotter, and I heard the _**thud thud**_ of my heart become more frequent. It began pounding like a sledgehammer as the burning intensified; feeling like a small sun was collecting inside me. My heart beat accelerated, until it became almost one sound, and the fire peaked, my chest feeling like it should be shining like a star. As the pain and my heart's frantic beating reached a crescendo, they both slowly faded into silence. I felt the pain recede, and cracked my eyes open.

I stared at the bumpy ceiling tiles, similar to those you'd find in a hospital. I stared at the florescent light above my head, seeing each individual filament in the bulb, yet feeling my eyes absorb the light without the tiniest bit of strain. The cracked ceiling at the top of the room was lit in such relief it seemed as if I was only an inch away instead of around ten feet. I caned my neck to look around, but felt a tugging sensation stop me. I reached up a hand and pulled a foot of rubber tubing from my nose. I eyed it in distaste, then flung it off the side, sitting up.

I paused then, cocking my head to the side, and listened intently for the first time. I could hear everything: muttered conversations, machine whirs, even the tiny thuds of a hospital full of struggling hearts. Each little sound of life, especially the heart beats, made tiny sparks, tiny remnants of The Burning, go off in my throat, until it grew into a constant ache. I flipped my head around, seemingly too fast to be possible, and saw a small pitcher of water. I grabbed it and chugged it all in one gulp. It did not help at all. I panicked, but, one thing in the room caught my eye. A heart monitor, glowing an acid green, sat, a straight line across its screen, silent. I glanced down at my bare chest(which, I noticed, was visibly more muscular then before) and saw the heart monitor attachments. I had no heart beat. Panic and despair griped me. I…was…dead?

NO!!!! I could not be! I was still there, wasn't I?! Then, I realized something wholly disturbing. I hadn't taken a breath yet. Yet, I felt no desire to. I sucked in a breath, and the scents which assailed my nostrils shocked me. I detected the sweetest scent I'd ever smelt before, which made the sparks in my throat with all the intensity of the Hellfire which had over taken me earlier. I leapt up without thinking, tearing off down the hall. The rest was a blur. I finally came back to awareness when a cool breeze caressed my face. I was perched atop the hospital, my hands stained with scarlet color, the rust-and-salt smell of blood fresh in my nostrils. The thirst was gone, but horror quickly replaced it. What had I done?! "What have I done?!" I scream to the heavens, though the sound sounds too pitch perfect to be my voice. Suddenly, I catch a strangely familiar scent. It is sweet, but brings an instinctive picture to mind. "Marie..." I whisper under my breath, and I'm gon, following the scent down the city streets as rain pours down in torrents, turning the city black except for the brilliant flare of lighting flashes. I follow the scent, determined to find my friend, and instinctual pack instinct, I surmise as I write this. I rush down the dark streets, too fast for the eyes to follow…


End file.
